Question of The Day. Saturday 18th of March

Good morning.

Do you consider yourself to be an optimist or a pessimist? Or are you somewhere in-between? Why?

I think I'm pretty optimistic. I don't worry about things to much and I tend to keep plodding along with an "Oh well, let's try it and see" attitude.  I guess I've been pretty lucky too, as this attitude hasn't got me in any serious trouble so far.

How about you?

Pessimist, no doubt about it.

Set a glass of water on the edge of a table.  Some may think, "oh, need to be careful that doesn't go over."   Me?  Thought process runs along like this:

"Oh no, that  glass of water is going to spill.  Water all over the table top ruining the finish.  And it will run off the edge to the floor, soaking the carpet.  The carpet will absorb the water and take it right down to the wood, so now I am going to have to replace the subfloor, carpet pad and carpeting.  Omgosh, what a mess!  I feel sick, I have to go lie down."

Keep in mind, the darn glass of water is still upright! But I've just ruined my hour, afternoon, maybe my whole day.  All because I didn't set the glass well in away from the edge of the table.

I'm mostly an optimist. Or probably "realist' is more accurate but I lean more to seeing the bright side of things than not.

This is an easy question for me, definitely an optimist.  My dad was the same way and I'm very thankful for his authentic outlook on life.  He taught me patience and understanding as well as offering a hand to anyone in need.  I am immensely grateful for his gentle ways and positive attitude. 

Definitely a pessimist, then when things turn out right, it's more pleasurable.

My tendency is to be pessimistic.  I try to control it though.  My tendency is to always assume the worst but I try to catch myself and look at the brighter side.  

I tend to be pessimistic, too. I have had some bad experiences in life, and so I have learned not to be too hopeful.

A little bit of both. There are some things that I fear may happen in the near future, while other things I look forward to. I have a great marriage and a volunteer job at a no-kill animal shelter. But I sometimes feel that other people are better off than I am.

I'm not sure is pessimist is the correct term. Cynic? Skeptic? Suspicious? Realist? Haha. Anyway I don't tend to assume the best of anyone or anything. But I don't tend to assume the worst either. Somewhere in the middle I think.

Incurable optimist.  But realistic with it.  Was married to an incurable pessimist.  Our friends called us "Ren and Stempy."

I'm almost 63, and I can count the bad days I've had in my Lifetime on one hand, and still have two fingers left over.  It's pretty difficult to be a pessimist when God's hand has been on your shoulder so long.

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Willowy said:

I'm not sure is pessimist is the correct term. Cynic? Skeptic? Suspicious? Realist? Haha. Anyway I don't tend to assume the best of anyone or anything. But I don't tend to assume the worst either. Somewhere in the middle I think.

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    but i also tend to be a person who sees the positives in people and situations. i've just come across quite a bit of the worst in people during my life, so......(the above, in bold).

I'm a pessimist who lives with an optimist. My greatest wish is to live in a place with a yard and a vegetable patch. The town would have little or no people, good weather, internet access, a decent hospital and public transport. But of course that place doesn't exist.  

1CatOverTheLine said:

I'm almost 63, and I can count the bad days I've had in my Lifetime on one hand, and still have two fingers left over.  It's pretty difficult to be a pessimist when God's hand has been on your shoulder so long.

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You're saying that in 63 years of life you've had only 3 bad days?

Primula said:

You're saying that in 63 years of life you've had only 3 bad days?

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As far as I can recall; maybe my memory's going, eh?

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definitely pessimist. And although I have gotten better at my mood it still hounds me constantly. The cats help keep my mood in check. I don't act surprised anymore when things go wrong. I just try to roll with it. Instead of trying to stop any future issues..like someone said about the water-I too would be worrying about how its going to make a mess and screw everything up...but the older I get I too noticed  that some things don't spin me up like they did when I was younger...

1CatOverTheLine said:

 
As far as I can recall; maybe my memory's going, eh?

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  You must have owned Cats entire time   

Optimist here.....

Seventhheaven said:

 
  You must have owned Cats entire time   

Optimist here.....

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Oh, no - I had 1,460 blissful cat-free days; I've only been a cat cushion since 1958; my Parents gave me a Siamese for my fourth birthday.



I suppose that I simply never saw the value in overreacting - or perhaps I'm too much the optimist?

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